Berger



2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

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D. M. ROTHBNBERGER- Patented July 31,1894.

BANK SAFE.

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' BANK SAFE. No.-523,946. Patented July 31,1894.

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UNITED `Srrvrns PATENT OFFICE.

DANIEL M. ROTHENBERGER, OF LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JACOB B. RUSSEL, OF SAME PLACE.

BANK- SEECIFICATION forming part of Letters :Patent No. 523,946, dated J'uly 31, 1894.

Application filed May 17,1893.

To all whom it may concern,.-

Be it known that I, DANIEL M. ROTHEN- BERGER,a citizen of the United States, residing at Lancaster, in the county of Lancaster of rendering prison-'cells and other inclosed air chamber, 'in combination with means for sounding an alarm by reducing the airpressure.

The invention further consists in the at `tachment to the safe of a device by which the air-pressure can be reduced in case of dre.

The invention also consists in the attachment of a device by which theair-chamber is iiooded with water when approched by re.

. The invention consists, finally, in the construction and combination of various details, as hereinafter fully described, and then specitically pointed out in the claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, which form apart of this` specification, and in whichv Figure 1 is al front elevation of the safe, showing the door in an open position. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the sate. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section on the line x-x of Fig. l. Fig. 4 is a vertical section on the line y-y of Fig. 1, the door being closed and the parts y viewed from thedirection of arrow 1.

Fig. 5 is a vertical section on the line z-z of Fig. 2. Fig. 6 is a front elevation of the alarm guardcase; Fig. 7, a horizontal section thereof on the line w-w of Fig.- 6, and-Fig. 8 a vertical section of the same on the line 00L-w of Fig. 7. Fig. 9 is an end view ofthe safe, showing an automatically acting device for flooding the inner wall of the safe with water. Fig. 10 is a'. bottom plan view of the safe. Fig. 11 is an enlarged vertical section of the air-cylinder. Fig. 12 is an enlarged side view of the connection ybetween the door and the airchamber, the walls of the safe being shown in section. Fig.13 is an enlarged horizontal Serial No. 474.558. (No model.)

section of the safe-door on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1, showing the connections between it and the air-chamber and the door partly open. Fig. 14 is an elevation of a bank-vault, the front being cut away to show the safe. Fig. 15 is an enlarged perspective view of the device for opening the feed andescape waterpipes. Fig. 16 is a top view of the pipes connecting the air-chamber with the air-cylinder and the door, taken on line o-fu of Fig. 5.

Similar letters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referrin'gto the details of the drawings, A indicates the outer wall of the safe, that entirely incloses the same and between which and Athe inner wall there is formed a compressed air chamber A3, extending all around the top, sides and bottom of 4the inner wall. This inner wall is composed of two continuous parallel plates A', having a space between them illed with asbestus, ashes or other nonconducting substance A2. the air-cl1amber is maintained by struts or braces A4, interposed between the outer and inner walls of the safe. The bottom of the outer wall slopes downward on all sides from the edges toward the center, as shown in Figs. 4, 5, 9 and 10. The door is constructed in the same manner, having an outer wall a, aninner wall formed of plates a. with a space between them filled with noncombustible'material a2, and a compressed-air chamberca, connected with the air chamber surrounding the body of the safe by internally located flexible tubes 0.4, shown in Fig'sQl, 3 and 13.

B designates an air-cylinder located in the interior of the safe, the bottom of which is connected bya pipe B2 with a pipe B', passing through the inner wall into the air-chamber A3 and having a branch pipe B4 extending to the door.

Below the pipe B is an air-pump B3, con.- nected therewith and supported bya bracket C, 'the air-pump being operated by a crankwheel C. In the upper end of air-cylinder B is placed a piston head b, the rod of which passes up through the vtop of said cylinder and has its upper end pivoted to a lever b. lat b2, said lever being hinged to the inner wall of the safe and having a weight b3 on its outer end. v

The width of f Between weight b3 and the pivot b2 a contact-block D2 is attached to lever h' and adapted to engage a similar contact block on the top of cylinder B, as shown in Fig. 11. These contact blocks are connected with an electric-battery D, supported in the safe on a bracket D', by wires d, and said battery is also connected with an alarm gong through an electro-magnet by wires CZ and sounds the same when the circuit is closed by the meeting of contact-blocks D2.

A pipe d2, opening into the interior of the safe, extends t0 and enters the interior of the guard-case H, in which the alarm gong is placed, and is surrounded by a pipe d3, openingrinto the air-chamber A3 of the safe and air-chamber H of said guard-case H, there being an airspace left between pipes d2 and d3.

The di'erent air-pipes may, if preferable, be made of combustible material. The airchamber H extends over the entire top and bottom of guard-case H and through the side walls H3 of the same. Pipes H2 are arranged in front of the alarm-gong h and open into the top and bottom of air-chamber H', and inside of and opposite the openings between pipes H2 are vertical rods H4. Wires cl connect with the electro-magnet I, from which clapper h is actuated. This construction of guard-case H facilitates the escape of the sound 0f gong h therefrom and prevents access to it.

To prevent over heating of the inner wall of the safe in case of fire there is a Water feed pipe E running up one end of the safe and across the top to about the center E thereof, where it enters air-chamber A3. When fed into said air-chamber the water passes over and down the sides of the inner wall of the safe and is received in the depressed outer bottom E2, whence it is conveyed by escapepipe E3. Pipes E and E3 are opened and closed simultaneously by a spigot common to both and consisting of a solid cylinder E4, one end, E5, of which engages the escape-pipe E3 and has a transverse perforation E6 through it, as shown in Fig. 15. The other end enters feed-pipe 'E and has a perforation therein similar to E5, but at rightangles therewith.

Cylinder E4 has attached thereto a leverrod e, which,`when the spigot is closed, extends upward therefrom at an angle with the. end face of the safe, as shown in Figs. 5 and 15, and has aweight e attached thereto. The free end e2 of the lever extends beyond the weight and is embraced by a combustible cord c3 that passes around the safe and holds said lever upright and the spigot in the position which closes pipes E and E3.

Upon the approach of fire to the safe cord e is severed and weight e drops, turning the spigot and opening pipes E and E3. The interior of pipe E is of greater diameter than pipe E3, so that the chamber A3 may be graduallyiilled with water, pipe E3 allowing the gradual escape of the same and of the steam generated therefrom.

The free end of branch-pipe B4is open and has a cock therein operated by a crank-handle F. This handle is engaged by a catch or hook E hinged to the inner side of the door atf. In opening the door of the safe, the cock is also opened by the engagement of hook E With'crank F, as shown in Fig. 13, l

thus permitting the escape of the compressed air in chamber A3. Before closing the door again crank-handle F is turned so as to close the cock and when the door is pushed to the A catch or hook I1" takes over said crankhan dle automatically by reason of the bevel 'on the lower side of its free end, shown in Fig. 12.

In Fig. 14E, one of my safes is shown located in a vault K, the alarm-gong beingplaced in the tower K', the windows K2 of which are protected by air-pipes connected with pipe cl3 in any manner similar or equivalent to the 'means for connecting the air-pipes H2 with the air-chamber H of guard-case H.

In operating, all outlets from air-chamber A3 being closed, said chamber is filled with compressed air by means of an air-pump B3, thereby raising piston-head b and breaking connection between contact-blocks D2. Opening the door of the safe or puncturing the outer wall of chamber A3 or any of the airpipes connected therewith, permits the escape of the compressed air, when weight b3 forces down piston-head b and closes the circuit between contact-blocks D2, thereby sounding the alarm.

As will be readily understood, the guardcase with the alarm-gong therein can be located in any convenient or desirable place, and connected with air-chamber A3 by pipes d2 and cl3.

No particular construction of air-pump and IDO source from which electricity is obtainedare shown and described, as such construction forms no part of the invention and any well known forms of these devices can be, employed. As will readily be seen, the escape pipe E3 may be used simply as an escape for the compressed air in case of tire and the flooding of the air-chamber be dispensed with.

In case of the application of my device to prison cells or other similar inclosures, the electric-battery, air-pump, and the mechanism connnected therewith are placed on the outside theseof, and the air-chamber is located inside of the fire-proof walls.

I do not conue myselt` tothe details of construction herein shown and described, as it is obvious that many changes may be `made therein without departing from the principle of my invention; neither do I restrict myself to the location of the electric-batteryand the air-pump within the safe, for they may be 1ocated outside the same if preferable.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said safe, of an airpump, a protected mechanism for generating IIO electricity,van alarm placed without the airchamber of the safe andalso surrounded by an air-chamber, wires forming a circuit between the source of electricity and the alarm, a jacket about said wires forming an air-passage between the different air-chambers, and a protected connection between the air-chamber of the safe and' the mechanism for generating electricity, whereby a circuit is closed by forming an opening between said air-chamber and the outer air, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

2. In a safe, the combination, with an airohamber surrounding said safe, of an airpump and source of electricity located in thev safe, an alarm placed outside of the safe and surrounded by an air-chamber, wires forming a circuit between the source of electricity and the alarm, a jacket about said wires forming an air passage between the air-chambers around the safe and the alarm, and a connection between the air-chamber of the safe and the source of electricity, whereby a circuit is closed by forming an opening between said air-chamber and the outer air, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said safe, of an airpump, a protected mechanism for generating electricity, an alarm placed without the airchamber of the safe and protected by a'case having an air-chamber formed above, below and behind it, and air-pipes in front of the alarm connecting the top and bottom of the airchamber protecting said alarm, wires forming a circuit between the source of electricity and the alarm, a jacket about said wires forming an air-passage between the different air-chambers, and a protected connection between` the air-chamber of the safe and the mechanism for generating electricity, whereby a circuit is closed by forming an opening between said air-chamber andy the outer air.

4. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said sate, of an airpump, a protected mechanism for generating electricity, an alarm placed without the airchamber of the safe and also surrounded by an air-chamber, wires forming a circuit between the source of electricity and the alarm, a combustible jacket about said wires forming an 'air-passage between the different airchambers, and a protected connection between the air-chamber of the safe and the mechanism for generating electricity, whereby acirair passage between the diderent air-chambers, and a protected connection between the air-chamber of the safe an'd the mechanism for generating electricity, whereby a circuit is closed by forming an opening between said air-chamber andthe outer air, substantially as and for the purpose specified. y

6. In a safe, the combination, with an aircha'mber surrounding said safe, of an airpump,a protected mechanism for generating electricity, an alarm placed without the airchamber of the safe and surrounded by an air-chamber` wires forming a circuit between the -source of electricity and the alarm, a jacket about said wires forming an air-passage between the different air-chambers, and aprotected connection between the air-chamber of the safe and the mechanism for generating electricity, whereby a circuit is closed by forming an opening between said air-chamber and the outer air, the jacket and other air-pipesbeing formed of combustible material, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

the safe, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. In a safe, the combination, with an aircha'mber surrounding said safe, of an alarm, a connection between the air-chamber and the alarm, whereby said alarm is sounded by forming an opening between the air-chamber IOO and the outer air, water supply and escape pipes opening into the air-chamber, and auto-` matically opening cocks held in position to close s aid pipes by a combustible cord passing around the safe, substantially as and for the purpose specitied.

9. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said safe, of an alarm, a connection between the air-chamber and the alarm, whereby said alarm is sounded by forming an opening between the air-chamber and the outer air,'water supply and escape pipes opening into the air-chamber, and an automatically opening cock common to the water-supply and escape pipes h'eld in position to close said pipes by a combustible cord .passing around the safe, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

10. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said safe, of an alarm, a connectionl between the air-chamber and the alarm, whereby said alarm is sounded by forming an opening between the air-chamber and theouter air, and a connection between the air-chamber and the door of the safe adapted to form an opening between said air.

chamber and the outer air by th'e opening of Izo said door, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

1l. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said sate, of an alarm, aconnection between the air-chamber and the alarm,whereby saidalarin is sounded by forming an opening between the air-chamber and the outer air, a cock closing apipe leading into said air-chamber, and a hook on the door of the safe adapted to engage the handle of the cock and open the saine when said door is opened, said hook being constructed to take over said handle when the cock is closed and the door is shut to, substantially as and for the purpose specified,

12. In a safe, the combination, with an airchamber surrounding said safe, of an airpump, a protected mechanism for generating electricity, an alarm placed without the airchamber of the safe and also surrounded by an air-chamber, wires forming a circuit between the source of electricity and the alarm, a jacket about said wires forming an air pas- Sage between the different airchambers,apro teoted connection between the air-chamber of the safe and the mechanism for generating electricity,whereby a circuit is closed by forming an opening between said air( chambers and the outer air, and anvair pipe connected with the air-chamber having an open end closed by a cock adapted to be opened by a hook on the door when said door is opened, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

DANIEL M. ROTHENBERGR.

Witnesses:

A. H. FRITCHEY, WM. R. GERHART. 

